A charming ant with a shaggy abdomen and legs. Summer is the brightest and most expressive time, and every child with great pleasure tries to reflect the impressions received at this time of year in their creative works.
Therefore, children with great pleasure make various summer crafts with their own hands, trying to preserve in them at least a small piece of sunny days and warm emotions.
As a basis for creativity, you can take the most different materials. In the summer, during picnics and trips to the bosom of nature, they become especially relevant. If desired, they can be turned into interesting, unexpected images.
One example of such work is the “Ant” craft. A child of any age, including younger ones, can make it with his own hands.
What you will need:
- two disposable red spoons (you can paint regular white spoons red with nail polish or plastic paint);
- black chenille wire;
- eyes for toys;
- polymer glue.
Let's get started.
We stack the spoons together with holders, with the wide part of each spoon facing the bend in one direction.
We fix the handles of the spoons together with black chenille, wrapping them.
For greater strength, you can pre-fasten the handles with polymer glue - then they will not slide relative to each other. We use several pieces of wire - at least three. Can also be used ordinary wire, or combine it with knitting yarn.
Glue toy eyes to the wide part of one of the spoons.
For centuries, people have loved observing the lives of tiny insects like ants. This is not strange, because their behavior is characterized by incredible hard work, responsibility and teamwork. The extraordinary world of these tiny creatures has its own orders, laws and relationships. However, if representatives of this species appear in the house, the reaction of a normal person is obvious - it is necessary to get rid of the insects, as they will begin to harm food, get into clothes and bite family members.
True, not all people do this - on the contrary, some of them specifically breed ants in their home anthills. The question arises: for what? Everything is very simple - to monitor the behavior, life and characteristics of these amazing babies. Ant farms will be a particularly valuable find if there are children in the house. The fact is that kids are very interested in nature and are ready to study everything that surrounds them. For this reason, creating such a house with ants will satisfy the curiosity of every child.
Wondering how to do ant farm, pay attention to different types such structures. There are three main varieties in use these days:
- soil-sandy;
- gel;
- mud.
Ant farm - description
The ant farm is a home anthill, which consists of a container with a special gel, sand or other filler. This design makes it easy to monitor the behavior of the ant family. Scientifically, an ant farm is called a formicarium. Such exotic products appeared in the domestic space relatively recently. Nevertheless, they enjoy decent popularity and are of interest to a large circle of people.
Ant farms are a unique version of exotic pets that adapt well to growing in captivity and do not require special care. But following the lives of tiny creatures is very interesting and funny. In addition, everyone will be able to see the development of the colony from the very first days.
Today, formicariums can be seen in offices and other institutions. Many modern people trusses are installed on work tables, as their dimensions remain very compact. Someone uses such structures as original gift for important people. In any case, ant the farm is a very interesting exhibit, and its inhabitants are the most amazing, beautiful and hardworking creatures that you can watch for hours on end.
Home anthill - a unique world of insects in your home
In nature you can find a wide variety of ant species, which are radically different from each other. external features and habits. For example, the Amazon rainforest is inhabited by Amazon ant colonies, which know how to rob and destroy anthills of other species, devouring their larvae. Captured insects quickly turn into slaves and spend the rest of their lives caring for the Amazons.
There is also leaf cutter ants who build their houses inside myceliums. Having strong jaws, they freely cut leaves into small pieces and bring them to the mycelium. They use the cut leaves to build their houses and use the greens as food. Under natural conditions, there are real giants whose dimensions exceed 4 centimeters.
Mostly similar insects can be divided into two groups:
- hunters;
- gatherers.
Representatives of the first group they need to constantly look for protein foods and carbohydrates, so they pay great attention to searching for other insects. Animals spend a significant part of their lives hunting. With the help of special locators - antennae - ants pursue prey by smell. If one ant from a huge colony finds syrup or fruit, returning back, it leaves marks using its abdomen so that other relatives can also find their way to fresh food. You can watch such unique moments in your home ant farm.
In turn, forager ants lead a completely different lifestyle. The main component of their diet is the seeds of plants such as poppy, rapeseed, and millet. However, once they find foods that are high in protein, they won't pass them by. For this reason, they can eat dead insects or boiled chicken (if we are talking about a domestic anthill). They do not hunt living insects, and any attacks can only be explained by a defensive reaction. These animals are characterized by a unique colony structure. It consists of special warehouses containing seeds and other food, birthing rooms, dining rooms and rooms for caring for young animals. Taken together, this design looks very funny.
Features of the life cycle of ants
Within the same family ants can be divided into several separate castes. Among them:
- scouts;
- worker insects;
- soldiers;
- nurse ants;
- queen.
A small percentage of the total colony population are scouts. Nevertheless, all types of ants have them, and their activity is very important and consists of discovering unfamiliar territories and searching for new sources of food.
Working class consists of the most hardworking individuals who lead construction work, move food, sort warehouses and carry out work on cleaning the anthill. Soldiers are characterized by larger sizes, a large head and a powerful jaw. The role of nurse ants is obvious: they raise the young, feed the larvae and the queen.
The uterus is the main individual of an ant colony. Absolutely all inhabitants of one anthill are children of the same queen. That is, they are all brothers. The queen's main goal is to reproduce. Other representatives of the species bring her food. Some colonies may have two or more queens.
Each ant farm has its own unique smells. Even each individual ant has a unique smell, so individuals of the same species can be at enmity with each other.
If you are going to make a formicarium, believe me, the kids will just be delighted. They will examine the structure of the colony and quickly make the insects their favorite pet. In addition, the presence of an anthill in the house will allow them to become more familiar with nature and temporarily forget about harmful technological innovations. By observing the behavior of such tiny creatures, they learn a lot of fascinating facts about nature and the animal world. And for adults, the formicarium will be an excellent way of relaxation, which will allow you to unwind after a hard day at work.
What types of domestic anthills are there?
There are many varieties of formicaria. Among the most common:
- vertical display;
- horizontal;
- volume;
There are also combined options.
In addition, ant farms, which can be made at home, may differ in filler. Sand, earth, clay, gypsum, aerated concrete and wood are used as materials. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages. The most suitable solution is considered to be gypsum. At the same time, in Western countries, ants are grown in aerated concrete filler.
An important component of a home anthill is the arena, where insects spend a significant part of their above-ground life. There they look for food, water and organize landfills. As a rule, such a part of the colony is located in the farthest corner of the formicarium, where the insects carefully lay out the garbage in one pile.
If you use your ingenuity and imagination, you can make not just an anthill, but also a real work of naturalistic art.
If you have the necessary experience, you can construct a biomodule with a colony of aphids, where insects will lead a life as if in natural conditions. Also, many people create high-quality imitations of forests where animals will feel at home.
And even if the procedure for building a formicarium may seem too complicated, do not despair. If you follow the basic rules and subtleties, you will be able to make a truly elegant home anthill that will decorate your home.
Comfortable conditions for breeding ants: feeding features
In the formicarium it is necessary to ensure optimal temperature regime. It is important to maintain temperatures at level 22-26 degrees Celsius, while the humidity should not fall below 70-90 percent. It is also important to arrange effective system ventilation.
Like any other insects, ants need two types of food: protein and carbohydrates. Forage insects (crickets, mealworms and others) can be used as protein food. They can be bought at any pet store. If you cannot find insects, you can replace them with chicken meat, egg white, fresh or boiled shrimp and other products. When feeding, it is important to pay attention to the quality of food. Outdoor insects can be poisoned by various chemicals, so it is best not to use them.
Regarding carbohydrates, then everything is very simple here. You can use ordinary sugar, previously diluted with water. In addition, you can give your animals fructose or glucose. Insects consume fresh fruits with a special appetite, such as grapes, pears, apples, oranges and tangerines. Great solution marshmallows or marmalade will become, but experienced owners of home anthills do not recommend using industrial sweets.
It is important to note that representatives individual species completely abandon all of the above-mentioned products and give preference to seeds. There is little hassle with them - a pack of canary food will be the most suitable solution. In any case, you will always find something to feed small pets.
It must be remembered that food for ants must remain fresh and nutritious. The insects will decide everything else, including the amount of food consumed, on their own.
When growing ants at home, it is enough to do basic rules care for these tiny creatures and monitor their condition throughout their natural life life cycle. In this case, the home anthill will develop fully.
As promised, I’m telling you about the successful relocation of my ant family to a new anthill 🙂 1. Soldier 🙂 Did you know that all the ants in the anthill are girls"/-SorRjo_vVxA/TlFahzQkYlI/AAAAAAAAAItI/mL-ZwZ-67Vg/s800/DSC_7398.jpg" /> So, we felt a little cramped in the test tube. Camponotus fellah ants are quite large. The workers are about a centimeter in length, and the mother and soldiers are twice as large. More than forty workers with offspring could hardly fit in a test tube, so I decided to build a formicarium (an artificial anthill). The principle is simple - pour and drink, you need to cast a block from plaster or alabaster with ready-made passages and rooms that will have access to the arena, ventilation and the ability to moisten the structure. There is a sea of information on the Internet! And, with all this, the first time is always an act. As always, before doing something new, I started by gathering materials. I bought a box of Ferrero chocolates, a box of beads, a hose, plasticine and a pack of plaster. I started by eating candy - it really helps my brain activity 🙂 3. The candy box will become an arena. The top is cut off so that the arena is well ventilated. The edges will be coated with lip gloss so that the ants cannot get out of it. 
4. I cut off the partitions in the bead box, cut out holes for ventilation, humidification and entry. I made a sketch of the interior. 
5. Based on the sketch placed under the glass, I sculpted it on the glass interior spaces so that they make the most of the depth of the box, but do not reach the back wall. One chamber stands separately - this is the humidification chamber. A tube for cocktails is inserted into it from above (the two chambers above it are shaped appropriately for the passage of the tube). 
6. Assembled model without plaster. 
7. To simplify the process of removing the casting from the box and to prevent plaster from leaking out through the holes already made, I lined the bottom of the box with cling film. 
I suggested pouring the plaster into the box and covering it with glass with a plasticine mold, squeezing out the excess plaster. In fact, this is not the most good idea. At least it didn't work out for me. True, I have almost zero experience working with plaster. The first and last time I cast a plaster mold was when I worked as a polisher in a dental clinic almost twenty years ago. I then cut out a skull from wax, about five centimeters in size, and immortalized it in dental plastic. I lost it when I moved, it’s a shame 🙁 So, the first batch began to harden before I put the mold in. This was a complete surprise for me and, in trying to finish the job, I crushed the glass 🙁 ...but still, we are not used to retreating... Using a piece of plastic cut from a box of chocolates and the remains of plaster as glass, roughly representing the allotted I have a time frame, I still made the casting. There wasn't enough plaster. To make the front part look good, I turned the mold over onto glass. On back wall The plaster sagged and holes formed in a couple of places, but the front side was cast perfectly. 8. Cleaned the plasticine. 
I dug up some alabaster in the bins: covered up the holes and built up the sagging areas. When the casting had frozen, but had not yet dried: I used a knife to smooth out the unevenness and burrs, and cut passages to the ventilation. 9. Soaked the casting in water with detergent for dishes to wash out the fat absorbed from the plasticine from the plaster. 
I rinsed the casting thoroughly and left it to dry for several days. 10. I got a new piece of glass, assembled it with formica and glued it with silicone. 
11. To cover the ventilation, my daughter suggested a nylon mesh. The mesh turned out to be very thin, durable and, thanks to its special weaving, had non-sliding cells. Tanya glued the nets with hot glue. 
12. Pre-assembly 
13. Entering the arena 
Well, you can connect. 14. I cut a hole in the old arena and connected the new Formica, after moistening it. 
I read a lot about how ants are not very willing to move into new home. To encourage relocation, many keepers are darkening the new Formica. I decided to give my ants a little time and leave everything as is. They didn’t make me wait long 🙂 15. The scout examined the new home for a long time and carefully, constantly stopping, moving his antennae and cleaning them. 
16. — And your nets are strong"/-cDPv-C1bRQQ/TlFZqd7ouxI/AAAAAAAAIqk/kuOxNjVYzoA/s800/DSC_7279.jpg" /> Quite quickly there were two scouts, then four. Then about six workers wandered aimlessly around the Formica for about an hour, scanning the space with their antennae and imitating daily life: they cleaned each other, tried to chew on the mesh and walls... Ultimately, a military expert soldier was invited for an inspection and then it began! They dragged the eggs, the larvae and cocoons were left in a test tube. They move them from place to place, look for eggs and drag them into formica. About 15 workers and one soldier are sitting with a queen in a test tube. 17. — Attention to those moving: proceed with your things to the blue corridor 
18. They dragged... uh... robot nannies :))) The workers dragged the crooked workers, I thought that they were dragging the newly hatched ones, but as soon as the crooked ones were released, they jumped to their feet and began to run. I think that they dragged nannies who never left the test tube. 
19. I didn’t see where their activation button is. Most often, after being released, the transported person stood up and began to run 
20. 
21. But it happened that they forgot to press the activation button and the ant lay in the same position for half an hour 
There are three people in the arena: one soldier and two workers. The rest are all in formica. In one place they are trying to chew on the wall. It turned out that they were gnawing on the wall to get building materials for installing ventilation. I missed how my mother was transferred. After she left, only larvae, cocoons, one soldier and a group of workers remained in the test tube. 22. The soldier met and fed each incoming porter. 
23. Drag cocoons 
24. The most difficult thing is to drag a larva larger than an ant 
The last larva was taken away. Three workers are sitting in a test tube, finishing something, and a half-soldier is sitting at the entrance. There is a soldier and one worker in the arena, the rest are all in formica :) I sealed up the two lower ventilation holes. The ants collected fresh alabaster and reduced the remaining two ventilation holes by four times. All the pupae and larvae were taken out into a tube, only the eggs were left inside. They themselves also sit inside. The passages between the chambers are quite large. I hope that two holes will be enough for them. At least they stopped digging 🙂 25. They gnawed out fresh alabaster... 
26. ...and sealed the upper holes 
27. I thought that all construction participants would remain with their mouths sealed :) 
28. But, no - with the help of their comrades, almost everyone got rid of the “fillings” in the very first hours after finishing the work 
All pupae were returned to Formica. There's no one in the arena... at all. One sits in a test tube. Sometimes a group of 3-4 workers visits him. They clean themselves there, “kiss” and leave, leaving one. 29. I removed the test tube, changed the arena and placed a large drinking bowl. The ant farm is ready :) 
It is much better to observe and photograph ants through smooth glass. Finally was able to photograph the process of unpacking the newborn 30. 
31. 
32. 
33. 
34. 
35. 
And also the packaging... 36. I noticed that the worker was fiddling with the soldier larva, and it was moving somehow strangely... inside the thin cocoon! 
37. 
38. 
39. Ants build DNA models from eggs in the air. Probably ventilate 
40. Open water For some reason, ants don’t really know how to drink. Maybe these are just mine"/-PYjNVDLPZOg/TlFbHEHBrJI/AAAAAAAAIus/YZqKkGCsi7I/s800/DSC_7705.jpg" /> 41. For honey syrup I set them plastic cover from bottled water. He poured boiling water over it, pressed a hole with his finger and dipped it in cold water. It turned out to be a tall saucer. 
42. It turns out that the larvae have such red fluff :) 
43. I am very pleased that my ants began to eat cat food. I think this is very healthy eating 🙂 
44. About social justice: A soldier washes away a worker 😉 
45. — See you again :) 
Cats, dogs and hamsters are wonderful, but many people have such pets. What to do if you want something unusual, interesting and not too expensive? You can give yourself or your child a wonderful gift - an ant farm. The originality of this gift lies, first of all, in the fact that it is quite easy to make with your own hands.
Preparatory stage
To make an ant farm with your own hands, you need to do a little preparation. To begin with It’s worth deciding on the container in which we will place a restless family. An excellent ant farm can be made from a flat aquarium, but this requires additional costs. Craftsmen can make a container from plexiglass by fastening it silicone glue. In this case, the design will be exactly the shape that suits you most.
The simplest version of an ant farm will be made from two containers for bulk products of different sizes. These can be jars or boxes made of transparent material without drawing or damage, one of which fits freely inside the other. Both jars must have tight lids. You will populate a colony of ants in the space between two banks so that it is convenient to observe her life.
Soil or base for an anthill
The choice of filler for an ant farm depends on where you are going to get its inhabitants:
Be sure to take into account that the mixture of soil and sand should not only be well loosened, but also moistened. However, do not overdo it; if you make the mixture too wet, the ants will simply drown in it.
Do not fill the container to the very top with the mud mixture. Leave a few centimeters of free space. And do not compact the mixture, but simply shake it lightly so that the inhabitants can easily make passages for themselves.
How to collect ants
The easiest way is to look for ants in your yard. There is nothing complicated about this, especially if you involve a restless child in the process. Small anthills are found very often; to find them, you just need to follow where the small workers so purposefully drag their finds.
To collect with an ant, take gloves, a scoop and a jar with a tight lid. You can make several holes in the lid with a thin needle for air access, but they must be so small that insects cannot crawl out. You can drop honey or jam at the bottom, then the ants will gather around the sweets and will not try to get out. Carefully dig up several inhabitants of the anthill and place them in a jar. Try to find the queen. She is much larger than other ants. 30 - 40 inhabitants are enough for your farm.
To populate a farm you created with your own hands, you need to take into account the following nuances:
- Only working insects can be collected on the surface of the anthill. They are unable to reproduce. To observe how ants lay eggs and care for them, be sure to obtain a queen queen. Alas, to do this you will have to dig the anthill quite deep.
- An ant farm inhabited only by worker ants will last no more than four weeks. This is their natural lifespan.
- In forest anthills you can find more large species insects than at urban sites. They are easier to keep an eye on.
How to care for an ant farm
It’s not enough to make a house for an ant family. To observe how ants live for a long time, you need to properly care for the farm:
Understand how making an ant farm yourself is not at all difficult. If you involve children in this process, then watching the little inhabitants will be even more interesting. The main thing is to act carefully so that the ants live where it is convenient for you, and not where they want.
When it comes to ants, we think of small black insects that sometimes fly and love sugar. But this is only a superficial idea of these amazing living creatures.
The article will not talk about a couple of annoying bugs, but about creating a full-fledged formicarium with your own hands.
Types of ants there are different ones. But no matter what species is chosen for breeding, the same rules for creating a cozy anthill apply to everyone. Where to start?
Read also:
How to make a formicarium for ants?
As you can see from the photo, this is a special aquarium, an ant farm. They happen different sizes, formats, with different contents. Can be used as a primer sand. The ants will use it to build nests, create passages and an arena.
Perfect fit finely sifted natural sand. You should stop using garden soil, as it contains various bacteria and chemicals. It is acceptable to use plaster. It pours into special form, forming passages and burrows. After hardening, the formicarium will be ready.
The third option is to use special gel. Insects will use the gel both for construction and as food.
Features of keeping domestic ants
An important component happy life ants is moisture. Its level varies from 80 to 90 percent.
Lack of moisture is tantamount to the death of the entire anthill. If there is excess moisture, fungus and mold can appear, which is also destructive. If perspiration appears on the walls of the formicarium, this is a sure sign that you need to stop moisturizing for a while.
The required level of humidity is determined practically.
For drinking You can put a small saucer or a tin bottle cap in the anthill. The ants will use this water to humidify their home and build new tunnels. It is important to remember that only filtered water can be given to ants.
In the vast majority of cases, suitable for ants room temperature, order 25 degrees Celsius. If the room is cool, this will slow down the development of the ant farm. In such cases, it is advisable to use special lamps or heating pads. A terrarium thermometer will help you track the correct temperature level.
Read also:
Ants feel best when moderate lighting. It is advisable to darken not only the chambers, but also the entire formicarium.
Insects will also get used to open lighting, and quite quickly, but for a comfortable life it is better to leave them in the shade. Particularly harmful effects sunlight has an effect on the larvae. Adults are also not recommended to be exposed to ultraviolet radiation for a long time.
If for some reason the owner needs lighting for a formicarium at home, experts recommend using moon-colored lamp. Such a lamp will be able to warm ants in a cool room and will not cause them stress.
What to feed the ants?
Contrary to popular belief, sugar is not the best food for ants. Protein source Worms and cockroaches may appear. To provide carbohydrates, make honey water, diluting 1:1. It is important to remember that such water can ferment quite quickly, and this is harmful to insects. As solid food suitable for ants: pieces of vegetables and fruits, bread crumbs, dead insects and mixtures for parrots.
Like many living things, ants hibernate. Insects become inactive, refuse proteins, and rarely leave their nests. During this period, you should change your approach to caring for the formicarium with your own hands. The temperature must be maintained between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius. The aquarium can, for example, be placed in the refrigerator.
Periodically, but not so often, you need to moisten the soil. Hibernation lasts 1-2 months. After this period, you need to bring the formicarium back into the heat and gradually warm it up to the usual temperature. The warming process may take up to 7 days.
Here's how to make your own ant farm. At proper care, the owner can get a very interesting and developed ant world. It is interesting to watch him, he is interesting to both children and adults.